


Heroverse Alternative

by TheSiegePerilous



Category: The Loud House (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29305986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSiegePerilous/pseuds/TheSiegePerilous
Summary: With the world robbed of its greatest hero, Lincoln Mcbryde finds himself feeling lost and uncertain about the future. Then, when he feels like things can't get any worse, a surprising source offers him a hand up, setting him on the path of adventure and romance. [An alternate take on Underrated Hero's Ace Savvy - A New Hope]
Relationships: Leni Loud/Lincoln Loud/Lori Loud
Kudos: 3





	1. Total Eclipse

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Ace Savvy: A New Hope](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27409210) by [UnderratedHero](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnderratedHero/pseuds/UnderratedHero). 



Lincoln McBride glanced around the empty rooftop for the umpteenth time. Still just him. He looked to his watch, then to the sky, only the faintest tinges of illumination peaking out over the horizon as twilight stubbornly held its ground. Then he let out of soft, disparaging sigh. Why was he even here?

_"He was there when Ace died. He feels like it was his fault."_

He'd gone to the funeral, not entirely certain what he was expecting to find there. Closure? Maybe some kind of absolution? A great man had died on his watch, possibly the _greatest_ man, and Lincoln had merely sat there, impotently, watching it happen. He supposed that by going there, by confronting what had happened, he might have hoped he'd find some kind of resolution. Instead, he'd found himself in the presence of a gorgeous, blonde superheroine. Two of them, in fact, which would be cause for celebration under literally any under circumstances. But—

_"I just sensed him feeling guilty."_

It was one thing to wallow in self-pity. Ruminating on your shortcomings, however dire they were, felt...noble, in a way. You could play up your remorse, your pathos, , and there would eventually come a point where you might be able to convince yourself that things aren't nearly as bad as you're making them out to be. But, it becomes so much harder to delude oneself when those same...concerns, those criticisms, are being echoed by another person. He knew Eclipse hadn't been passing judgment, she was a telepath, she was just reading the room, so to speak. But hearing those sentiments coming from another person makes them _feel_ that much more real. Especially when, deep down, you believe them.

_"I know its hard to believe it now, so soon after something really horrible happened, but we really mean it. You couldn't have saved him. You're just a kid, Lincoln."_

Lincoln physically winced as that last, traitorous memory manifested itself. He knew Eclipse had meant well by that, but the reminder of his own helplessness hadn't done much to help his mood. The fact of the matter was that Ace Savvy was dead. Struck down at a time when he was needed most, and whether or not he was responsible, Lincoln was an accessory to the vile deed. Arrogant though it may be, he still held himself responsible.

His chance meeting with Nova and Eclipse had only reinforced those feelings. He didn't blame them, the girls were honest to God heroes in their own right. They had responsibilities far beyond minding the feelings of some random kid, but having his anxieties so easily dismissed with simple, objective facts didn't help his mood. If anything, it only exacerbated things. Truth be told, when it looked like the duo was ready to leave, their social obligations having been met for the moment, Lincoln had been a little relieved. His trial was over. He could return to the comforting embrace of his own, private self-loathing.

...And yet, just as she was about to launch herself into the sky, following her sister to whatever feat of superheroics was in store for them, Eclipse faltered. She'd turned back to Lincoln, and simply stood there for a few moments, studying the boy a small frown adorning her pretty face. Lincoln couldn't have said just how long the examination had gone on for, but he'd become flustered rather quickly. And who wouldn't, under the circumstances? Finally, she'd seemed to make up her mind about something, and with a silent, firm nod of affirmation, Eclipse had lightly touched down upon the ground once more, and strode over to Lincoln. In short order, Lincoln found himself looking up at the girl once more, Eclipse now strangely seeming significantly more imposing than she had only minutes earlier.

* * *

"...You have something to write with?" She asked.

"I'm...sorry?" Lincoln asked. He hadn't been certain _what_ he was expecting, but that...definitely wasn't it.

_"_ You know, like...a pen, or something. _"_ Eclipse cleared her throat, and her posture relaxed somewhat. "I can't carry stuff like that. No pockets, you know?" By way of demonstration she patted her _distractingly_ shapely hips, and it wasn't long before Lincoln could say with complete conviction, that she was absolutely right. She did _not_ , in fact, have any pockets on that particular are of her costume.

"I t-think...yeah." Lincoln stammered, wrenching his gaze away from the heroine, for his own good, as he began to examine himself. Finally, he found what he needed, a single, solitary pen in his pants pocket. He silently offered it to Eclipse, this time _extremely_ careful to maintain eye contact with her. Eclipse took the pen. To his surprise, she then grabbed him by the wrist, flipped his hand over, and began scribbling intently on his palm. She took a moment to examine her handiwork before nodding, apparently satisfied, then turned her attention back to Lincoln.

"Go to this address tomorrow morning." She said, using Lincoln's pen to indicate the top line of her scribbles. "Bright and early. Then, I want you to text me at this number." This time she gestured towards the second. "I can't guarantee I'll be there right away, but I'll get there as fast as I can. Promise."

"O...kay." Lincoln replied, blinking dumbly. This was beginning to feel more unreal by the second. "But why?"

Eclipse deposited the pan back in his hand, Lincoln's fingers instinctively clenching around the writing instrument. Then, the older girl threw her head back, causing her lustrous hair to flow upward in a dazzling golden arc, and she fixed the younger boy with a gentle smile. Lincoln was only barely aware of the fact that he was now clutching the pen that much harder.

"There's something I want to show you." She said, kindly.

* * *

And _that_ was why he found himself. Here. At the crack of dawn. Standing atop some random apartment building. Which wasn't an easy feat to accomplish, you can't just waltz in and hit the stairs, he'd been forced to make use of a very rusty, very _rickety_ fire escape to make it this far. Presumably, being able to fly made you less mindful of the fact that verticality tended to pose an obstacle for regular people. Especially regular people who weren't particularly athletic, and got easily tired out from physical activity. And had short, tiny little legs. People like him.

Regardless, he'd made it to the agreed upon location. And all that remained now, was the question of whether or not to go through with this. True, he'd already snuck out, ridden his bike a considerable distance, and made the perilous climb to the rooftop. And still, after all that, it would be so easy to simply...leave. The climb back down to ground level notwithstanding, he _could_ just pretend this whole thing had never happened. And then he remembered that smile...

" _There's something I want to show you."_

Eclipse didn't owe him a thing. She had _real_ problems to worry about. Grown up problems. _Hero_ problems. And despite that, she'd still tried to offer him a hand up when he was at his lowest. How could he possibly turn her down?

...He couldn't. Sometimes, it really was that simple.

Lincoln pulled out his phone and loaded up the number Eclipse had given him the previous day. "I'm here." His text said, nice and simple. His finger trembled ever so slightly as it hovered over the Send button, but he pushed forward. And then the deed was done. Nothing left to do but wait.

Lincoln couldn't say how long he stood there. Wondering, worrying, desperately he wouldn't have to pee in the middle of...whatever this was. Finally, he saw her, soaring through the sky, her green and white bodysuit standing out in sharp contrast against the sky. She made her approach, Lincoln's heart hammering against his chest with greater speed the closer she got. Finally, mercifully, she touched down, only a short distance from him. And just when it felt like his heart would leap right up and out of his throat, she flashed him that same, reassuring smile.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." She said. She closed the distance, and took Lincoln by the hand. And it seemed as though the twilight around them grew just a bit brighter.

* * *

"...So." Lincoln ventured, dragging the word out for as long as he dared, hoping to fill the empty air for that much longer. "We're just gonna...sit here?"

"That's right." Said the blonde, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. Still wary, but relieved that there wasn't anything else expected of him, Lincoln allowed himself to relax, just a bit. Following her arrival, Eclipse had guided him to one corner of the rooftop and plopped down on the floor, facing outward to where the city lay. She gestured for him to join her, and Lincoln had done so. And ever since then, they'd simply...waited. Nothing more.

"Just to clarify." He added, immediately kicking himself mentally for not being able to keep his mouth shut. "We're waiting, here, at this location. For...something?"

"Yes." Eclipse replied. Much to his relief, there was nothing but patience and understanding in the smile that she gave him. She was probably used to people being weird around her, the girl was _basically_ a celebrity...albeit, one who could fling him from the rooftop with a thought. Somehow, that didn't ease his worrying in the slightest, and he found himself wishing they could have picked a vantage just a _bit_ further from the edge. "Should be any minute now." She added, heedless of the tiny, white-haired ball of worry fermenting right next to her.

"You know, we used to live here." Eclipse continued. "Me and Lo—err, Nova." Her face reddened in embarrassment at the faux pas, but Lincoln chose not to acknowlege it. Eclipse and Nova were entitled to their private lives, the least he could do was try to respect their privacy. Eventually, she seemed to pick up on this, and favored him with a grateful look, before turning her gaze back outward.

"It's tough, growing up meta." She went on. "People think it's fun to have powers, and it is. But the problem with superpowers is that the more powerful you are, the harder it is to control those powers. Sometimes..." She swallowed, her shoulders sinking just a bit. "Sometimes...really bad things can happen. Sometimes, those things are totally out of your control. But you still _feel_ like it's your fault. Like, there had to be something you could have done. But sometimes..."She exhaled, deeply. "Sometimes the truth is...you couldn't. It's hard to own up to it because we want to feel like we could have done better. But that just how it goes sometimes. And no amount of beating yourself up is going to change that."

Now she was looking at him directly. Her voice kind, but firm. "Ace wouldn't want you to feel like this, Lincoln. He was a good man. A good _hero_. And it wasn't because he had powers or cool gadgets. It's because the thing that mattered most to him was saving other people." She reached out and slid her arm around his shoulders, and instinctively, Lincoln found himself leaning into the comforting, welcoming warmth. "People like you." She added, giving him a comforting squeeze. "I know in my heart, that Ace wouldn't have regretted trading his life for yours. Not for a second."

"But now there _isn't_ an Ace." Said Lincoln, desperately he could just take the pretty girl at her word, but being unable to help himself. "There's going to be other people in danger, just like I was, and now he won't be there to save them."

"But we'll be there." Eclipse replied. "Me. And Nova. And others. We'll pick up the slack. We'll save those people, just like Ace would have."

"But your job is only going to get harder. Because of me—" He cleared his throat. "Because of... _this._ "

"Well...yeah." The older girl shrugged, conceding the point. "But you don't become a hero because its easy. We'll make it work. We'll find a way."

"How can you be so confident about that?" Lincoln asked. With her free hand, Eclipse pointed outward.

"That." She said. "Look over there."

Lincoln complied, looking in the direction she'd indicated, and his breath caught in his throat. As they'd been talking, the darkness had slowly begun to recede, and now the sun was beginning to rise. It wasn't a fast process by any means, not the glorious, instantaneous transformation one would expect to see in a movie or something. But from their vantage, he could see the sun's rays spilling out from the horizon, shedding their light and warmth upon the city below, and only growing stronger with the passing of time. The effect was literally radiant, a quiet, understated beauty, and the sort of thing that he'd never had the opportunity to appreciate before.

"Whenever things got really bad for me, whenever I felt like you feel now...I'd come up here, to this very spot. And I'd watch the sunrise." Eclipse said, softly, as if she was afraid to ruin the moment. "Because sitting up here, and watching the whole thing from start to finish taught me a very important lesson. And it's something that, I think we all need to be reminded about sometimes."

"And that is...?" He asked, haltingly.

Eclipse giggled, the sound strangely, beautifully melodic. "That the sun _always_ rises, silly." She pulled him close and rested her head upon his own. "No matter how dark it gets, no matter how terrible and scary things may seem, the sun will _always_ come up. And when it does, things won't be so bad. That's something you can always count on."

Lincoln laughed, in spite of himself. It felt...off, and he realized that he was probably a little out of practice by this point, but it felt good just the same.

"It's really that simple, huh?" He asked, looking up at the older girl.

"Totes." She replied, nodding solemnly. "Now sit there and keep on watching the sunrise with me until you feel better."

"Alright," Lincoln said, settling in. It seemed like this was going to take a while, but at least he was in good company.

"Hey...Eclipse?" He ventured a few moments later, a thought suddenly occurring to him. "Any chance you might be able to help me down from here? I don't know if you're aware of this, but that fire escape is a death trap, and I—" He stopped abruptly as the older girl pressed one finger against his lips.

"Anything you want, Lincoln." She said, winking at him. "But you've gotta finish watching this sunrise with me. That's the deal." And for the first time, in what felt like quite some time, Lincoln McBride felt a smile working its way onto his face.

"Fair enough." He replied, turning his attention from the radiance within the rooftop, to the radiance without. It might take a while, but he had to hand it to Eclipse. This definitely looked like a show that was worth seeing through to the end.


	2. T Time

Lincoln McBride's was...confused. This was not an unusual feeling for the white-haired boy as of late, it's just that this _particular_ instance was especially unusual, even by the standards of his new normal.

In the span of...had it already been a week? Lincoln had unintentionally been pulled into an altercation that resulted in the death of Ace Savvy, a hero to many, himself included. Dealing with the emotional aftermath of that incident had been rough, to say the least. But when things had seemed most bleak, he'd found some much-needed guidance.

That his savior had been an honest to God superhero was, at once both unusual and remarkable just the same. Saving people was literally her job, after all, but heroes typically dealt with more tangible threats. Criminals, supervillains, natural disasters. Comforting a depressed child just didn't have the same sense of urgency attached to it. Despite this, Eclipse had gone out of her way to do so anyway, and for that Lincoln would always be eternally grateful. She'd even been kind enough to ferry both him _and_ his bike home in the process, which seemed to be spiking the ball, so to speak, Good Samaritan wise, but it was incredibly gratifying and comforting to know that such a kind and caring person had taken the city under her aegis.

_BZZT BZZT_

Lincoln fumbled for his phone, checking his new message.

_Hey Linky! Got my hands full right now. Just knock when you get here!_

What _was_ surprising, was that his meeting with Eclipse kind of just seemed to...keep on going.

* * *

Following their sunrise watching session, which had done wonders for his mood, Lincoln had presumed that would be the end of things. He had needed saving, of a sort, Eclipse had saved him, the superhero social contract had been fulfilled. Eclipse had a life, and responsibilities, it would have been unconscionable to demand any more of her time than he had already taken. And Lincoln had been fully prepared to allow things to end there, leaving his meeting with the heroine as an amusing anecdote that he would almost certainly be mocked for sharing ("Sure Lincoln, you _totally_ some alone time with a pretty, blonde superhero. We believe you.") Once he'd arrived back home and farewell to the emerald-clad girl, Lincoln had snuck back inside, changed back into his pajamas, and tried to salvage what time remained before school started so he could get some much-needed sleep. The rest of the day had proceeded in a fairly normal fashion. Until that night.

Homework done, teeth brushed, and dinner digesting in his stomach, a _very_ exhausted Lincoln had been prepared to turn in early and start catching up on his sleep deficit. And then...

_BZZT BZZT_

Lincoln had absentmindedly reached for his phone and checked his messages, not expecting to receive anything especially interesting so late on a school night.

_Hey Lincoln. Just wanted to make sure you were doing okay._

The tone of the message was familiar, but the sending number was not. Lincoln had stared at his phone, puzzled, trying to work out just who might be sending him such a thing. Then he noticed that this was but one message in a short, but preexisting chain and comprehension dawned. It was Eclipse, checking up on him. Touched, Lincoln had sent back a short reply, assuring her that he was feeling much better, and once again thanking her for her time. His mood a little lighter, and his heart a little warmer, Lincoln had gone to bed, incredibly thankful that he had chosen to go to that funeral. However...

_Lincoln, have you ever been flying in the rain? Big mistake, my hair is totes soaked._

_Lincoln! I got thrown through a wall! But I ended up in a froyo shop I didn't know existed! So tasty!_

_Lincoln! I'm on fire! So how's your day going?_

The messages never stopped coming. Not literally, of course, but at least once a day, oftentimes more, Lincoln would receive an entry in this strange little saga of his. It was flattering, and also a little intimidating to think that he warranted such attention, but Lincoln always did his best to reply as expediently as possible, each time expecting that this latest message was to be his last. It wasn't until several days of this new routine, that Lincoln finally came to a stunning revelation.

There was a _chance_ , however minute, that these communications were not simply a concerned superhero keeping tabs on her latest charity case, but rather that he had _somehow_ , managed to become friends with Eclipse.

_Hey Linky! Me and Nova are gonna be having a night in tomorrow. Thinking of doing a movie night. Wanna_ come?

This...was going to be really hard to explain to his dads.

* * *

Lincoln hadn't been certain what to expect when he'd been invited to a superhero movie night, but an address that readily showed up on Google Maps still managed to be perplexing. The address in question was deemed too far for him to travel by bike, so his dads had insisted on driving him, resulting in an anxiety-inducing car ride to the location. Superheroes didn't conduct their business just anywhere, they had fortresses, caves, mystical sanctums, space stations! The address he'd been given could have been for _literally anything_! And it would fall upon _him_ to explain to his well-meaning, but worry-prone parents, what the heck he was doing there!

...So it came as both a relief and a slight disappointment when their destination turned out to be a perfectly ordinary apartment building. Mercifully, Lincoln had managed to convince his parents to at least let him walk in on his own, _just_ in case the building was a hologram, or merely the front for something far more fantastical. But it seemed his caution was for naught. By all indications, this really was just a perfectly ordinary apartment building, full of perfectly ordinary people.

And so it came to be that Lincoln found himself standing before a perfectly ordinary door to one such perfectly ordinary apartment. Which lead him to his current conundrum. Namely, how was he to proceed from here?

No matter how many times he cross-referenced the numbered apartment before him with the address he'd been given, the facts refused to change. By all indications, _this_ was where he was supposed to be. So, with no other options left to him, Lincoln hesitantly reached out and sharply rapped on the door.

Several, heart-pounding moments passed, artificially lengthened by his extreme anxiety he was now suffering. But finally, mercifully, the doorknob began to turn, and the door opened.

"What do you want?" Grumbled a clearly irritated older girl, now standing in the doorway. Lincoln wasn't certain how to respond. While blonde and certainly attractive in her own right, her choice of a tank top and shorts doing little to hide her generous curves, the girl before him was absolutely not Eclipse. _This_ girl terrified him, something Eclipse had proven incapable of doing, in spite of Lincoln knowing full well that she could crumble him up like a wad of tissue paper using nothing but her mind. And that left Lincoln in a very awkward position. He couldn't just say "Hi, I'm here to see Eclipse", which risked exposing his friend's identity, _especially_ if he really had gotten the location wrong, which was beginning to seem increasingly likely now.

"Um...well..." He said, haltingly.

"Come on, kid, speak up." The girl snapped, "I don't have all night!"

"S-sorry!" Lincoln shouted, partially out of habit. His mind was currently occupied trying to figure out a way to gracefully disengage from this conversation, so his body had just reacted to the angry tone. However, Lincoln was finding it hard to think, what with being yelled at by this tall, blonde, blue-clad girl with a very...distinctive...hair...style...

"Oh my gosh." He said, softly, the last piece clicking in place. "You're NovAAAAH!"

* * *

Lincoln wasn't _entirely_ certain what had just happened. One second he'd been trying to pacify a distressingly angry girl, and now he found himself pinned against a wall by that same girl. Also, he'd apparently misjudged the situation. Previously, the girl in question had just been irritated.

" _What...did...you...say?"_ She hissed her face only inches away from his. _Now_ she was angry.

"No...va?" Lincoln barely managed to choke out. The deceptively delicate hand that was keeping him aloft felt like _steel_ against his chest, and breathing was starting to become an issue.

"How did you find me!" The girl growled, the pressure against his chest gradually increasing. "Are you a stalker? A fan?" Her eyes began to shine with a pale blue luminescence. "Are you a _stan_?"

"No!" Lincoln croaked. He realized, on some level, that a more comprehensive response would be required, but his oxygen levels were getting dangerously low and his thoughts were becoming more abstract as the seconds went _blue_. Fortunately, his salvation was at hand.

"Lori?" Called out a much more familiar voice. "Was that the door?"

Nova(?) started in surprise, causing her grip to falter, and allowing blessed air to flood Lincoln's lungs once more.

Another girl stepped into view, her pretty face marred by concern. Long blonde hair, a frilly seafoam-green dress hugging her slender, shapely frame, and oddly enough, a pair of sunglasses resting unused atop her head. While the outfit was unfamiliar, Lincoln had little doubt as to the identity of the new arrival.

"Eclipse!" He shouted, exhaling with relief.

"Oh! Hi, Linky." She replied, waving to him.

The remaining member of their trio looked from the still waving blonde, to the young boy she still had pinned to the wall.

"Hello, _Linky_." She deadpanned.

* * *

"Leni, what did I say about inviting strangers over?"

"You've never said anything about inviting strangers over, Lori."

"Because it's obvious! _Don't_ invite strangers over!"

Lincoln was between a rock and a soft place. Except the rock had very jagged edges and was probably thinking about decking him. Realistically, this was never going to survive as an idiom, but it was rather apt for his current situation. The sisters lived in a fairly unremarkable apartment. Save for the television hung up on the wall, which was quite nice, their living space was arranged pragmatically, so as to make the most of the space available to them. Lincoln was currently situated in what was clearly supposed to serve as the "living room", with a modest-sized couch, a coffee table, and a couple of comfortable chairs arranged around the aforementioned television. Despite the fact that there was plenty of room for three people to sit comfortably, even in this relatively small area, problems quickly arose once the trio began working out a seating arrangement.

In the hopes of diffusing the tension, Lincoln had offered to sit by himself, far off to the side. Leni's hurt expression and her trembling, pouting lips quickly convinced him to seek a different solution. Leni's offer that he sit on the couch with her was also quickly vetoed, this time by Lori, whose protests were only made that much more convincing by the sparking, crackling vestiges of her barely repressed energy aura. As for Leni's suggestion that he and Lori sit together...well, if looks could kill, movie night quickly would have been replaced with "clean up the still sizzling bits of the kid who couldn't keep his mouth shut" night. It was a situation eerily reminiscent of one of those variants of the Wolf, Goat, Cabbage puzzle. In the end, the closest they could come to an amicable solution was for all three of them to take the couch, Lincoln sandwiched tightly between the two older girls.

"Linky's not a stranger! He's Linky!"

As far as solutions go, well...the jury was still out on that one.

"Well, _I_ don't know him!" Lori seethed. "And not only did you invite some random kid over, you also outed our secret identifies to him! What the heck were you thinking?"

Leni winced at that. "Well, alright, I actually hadn't thought about that when I invited him over." She conceded. "But he's my friend! He won't tell anyone!"

"I won't," Lincoln added, flinching as Lori's baleful gaze turned upon him once more. "H-honest." Lori seemed unconvinced. Given that he'd made her out in the hallway, he didn't really blame her.

"And besides." Leni continued. "He's not a stranger. You've met him before." At this, Lori's consternation turned to confusion. She looked to Lincoln once more, her brow crinkling in concentration, and then her eyes widened as realization dawned.

"Oh, shoot." She said, her facial features beginning to soften, "You're that kid from the funeral."

"Y-yeah," Lincoln admitted, no point in lying about it. Lori sighed in exasperation.

"Fine, so he's not just some rando off the street," Lori admitted. "But—"

"I can just leave," Lincoln interjected, looking up at the girls. "Really, it's fine, no harm done. Just give me a minute to call myself a ride home, and I'll be out of your hair."

"We can't just let you _leave_ , kid." Lori scoffed. "You literally know too much. We have to make sure you don't go spilling the beans to anyone else." That sounded...ominous.

"O-okay." Lincoln gulped nervously. "So you're going to...what, erase my memory or something?" To his surprise, Lori was suddenly looking a lot less confident.

"Well...nnnnno." Lori admitted with a wince. "We..uh, we don't really have any way of doing that, I don't think." She looked to her sister. "Can you do that, Leni? You've got...mind powers, right?"

"Nuh-uh." The other blonde shook her head. "I mean, I bought some coconuts from the store. I guess we could try hitting him in the head with those—"

"Please don't." Lincoln and Lori responded in unison, prompting a brief exchange of confused glances between the pair.

"But, I think I have a better way of helping you learn to trust Linky," Leni concluded. She held out her hand, and the television remote smoothly floated up and off the coffee table, and into her grasp.

* * *

"This movie is the _worst._ " Lori groaned, throwing her head back as she groaned in frustration. Lincoln did his best to ignore the way Lori's movements caused her breasts to merrily bounce up and down. After all, he needed to give Lori _fewer_ reasons to want to blast him.

"I dunno." Lincoln offered, trying to keep his voice level. "I think it's a big improvement over the first couple of David Steel movies." The look of disappointment Lori leveled at him was _palpable_. It had both texture _and_ scent.

"I like it too," Leni added. "The fights are really cool. Even though the number of bad guys he's fighting keeps changing for some reason."

"The man has _pudding shoes_ ," Lori exclaimed, flinging her hands out to the side, Lincoln only barely managing to duck out of the way of the flailing appendage sent his way. "It's ridiculous! It's—"

"Over," Leni interjected, pointing at the screen. Sure enough, the credits had begun to roll.

"Finally!" Lori shouted. "Now gimme the remote!" Not waiting for her sister to comply, Lori leaned over and snatched the appliance out of Leni's hands, inadvertently squishing Lincoln between the two girls, causing the boy to briefly experience a moment of bliss of the highest caliber...immediately followed by mortification. The brief glance he shot Leni's way didn't help matters, as the older girl was smiling at him, clearly amused. Then Lincoln remembered that Eclipse's abilities included the reading of surface-level emotions...

"Need something to detox from all the stupid," Lori grumbled, changing the channel. "Ah, here we go."

"Oh!" Lincoln exclaimed, recognizing the show that came on and desperate for anything to distract him from what was going on with Leni. "The Dream Boat! My family loves this show!"

"Seriously?" Lori didn't sound convinced.

"Well...yeah," Lincoln affirmed, nodding slowly, not prepared for the skepticism. The elder girl seemingly remained unmoved.

"Do you have anyone you're rooting for, Linky?" Leni asked, gently nudging his side.

"Yeah." He turned his attention back to the cheerful blonde. "I was on team Tucker for most of this season, but last week I kinda...uh, jumped ship, I guess." He let out a nervous laugh. "Dale just really impressed me with how he handled that golf challenge."

"And why's that?" Leni prompted.

"Well..." Lincoln paused to clear his throat. "He got to that part at the end where he had the straight shot at the hole, albeit, a risky one because of the distance. Everyone was acting like that was his only option, going big for the risky shot. But instead, he intentionally shot wide so the ball would swerve around the perimeter and still end up on the green. He sacrificed a potential, but risky one-stroke, which easily could have turned into three or more if he messed up, and instead minimized his potential losses by setting up a two-stroke shot, which ended up winning the game for him."

Lincoln was so caught up explaining himself, that it was only now that he noticed the look of bemusement upon Leni's face. Which wouldn't have seemed out of the ordinary, he was used to people reacting that way when he started rambling like that, except for the fact that Leni wasn't looking at him. He followed the older girl's gaze, leading him to Lori, whose previous look of seemingly permanent disdain for him had now been replaced by...something else. He wasn't really certain what he was looking at, exactly, but it was the first time all night that she hadn't been looking at him with outright hostility, so that was _probably_ a good sign?

"You...uh..." Lori began. Her cool and calm tone and body language decidedly at odds with the way she was tripping over her words. "You like...golf?" That was unexpected.

"Kind of?" Lincoln offered with a nervous shrug. "I've never had a chance to try it. But I love games, and I was really impressed by how much strategic depth there seems to be." He let out a small chuckle. "Also, the actual shot he made was really cool."

"You don't say..." Lori mused, stroking her chin thoughtfully. Seemingly coming to a conclusion about something, Lori shut off the television and hopped to her feet, making her way over to a closet on the other side of the room. "Get out the putting green, Leni!" She called out over her shoulder.

"Uh, L-Lori?" Something about the girl's tone prompted Lincoln to look back her way. Much to his surprise, Leni, who had been varying degrees of unwavering chipper all evening, suddenly looked very nervous. "I don't think it's a good idea to—"

"Green, Leni." Came Lori's response, her tone brooking no room for argument. She walked back towards the pair, now with a bag of golf clubs slung over her shoulder.

"Wow." Said Lincoln, genuinely intrigued. "You golf, Lori?"

"Not...really. Not anymore, at least." The older girl's mood seemed to dampen for an instant. "Life kind of got in the way, you know? But it helps to occasionally break out the set and unwind a bit."

"That's not the only thing that gets broken," Leni muttered under her breath, barely audible even with her close proximity to Lincoln. Nevertheless, she reached out with her hand. A small rolled-up bundle floated out from a corner of the room and began to unfurl itself. At the same time, Leni reached out with her other hand, causing the coffee table to gently float a short distance away, leaving the center of the living room clear. Within short order, the girl's living space had been turned into an extremely tiny, but perfectly serviceable one-hole golf course.

That's pretty cool." Lincoln opined, climbing to his feet so he could examine the newly laid out accouterment. A gentle touch on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.

"Here," Lori said, gently putting a small cup in his hands. "Do me a favor and put this on the green, make sure the cup is facing me."

"Got it." Lincoln complied, setting up the cup while Lori retrieved a putter and a golf ball, and her bag. Once he'd placed it to her satisfaction, she motioned for him to step aside.

"Just give me a second to warm up." Said Lori. She placed the ball on the end of the green, put herself in position, and after a few moments of concentration, swung the putter in a nice, gentle arc. The ball rolled right up the middle of the green and into the cup with a soft _clink_.

"Nice job, Lori!" Lincoln congratulated her. "That's a hole in one, right?"

"Calm down, kid." The older girl replied, though it was clear from the way her back straightened up, that she was enjoying the praise. "I told you, _that_ was just a warm-up. Now..." She grinned. "Put the cup so it's standing straight up."

"Lori noooo!" Leni wailed from her place on the couch. Still, Lincoln complied, then took a few steps back.

"Alright..." Lori murmured to herself, as she got set up again. "Now, keep your eye on the ball, Lincoln..."

This time, rather than the fairly conservative swing she had used before, Lori added a considerable amount of windup to her swing. Lincoln was on the verge of asking _why_ that might be, when the blonde suddenly swung downward, her putter slicing through the air until it collided with the ball, producing a sharp _pop_. The tiny sphere launched upward with terrifying velocity, bouncing off the too-low ceiling before veering wildly into another corner of the room entirely. It was all Lincoln could do to follow the ball as it bounced all over the room, coming perilously close to hitting _him_ a few times. Then, mercifully, the ball rebounded off the ceiling one last time...

_PLONK_

...and landed right in the center of the cup.

"Holy moly." Lincoln breathed, his jaw hanging open. He turned back to the now preening teenager. "How the heck did you _do that?_ "

"Well..." Lori winced slightly. "Super strength does help. A little. But mostly it's just practice. Lots and lots of practice."

"So much practice..." Leni quietly sobbed from the couch.

"Get over it, Leni." Lori snapped. "I replaced all your stuff. Eventually." Then she turned back to Lincoln. "So..." She said, suddenly sounding very giddy. "You want to see another?"

"I—" Lincoln began, only to be interrupted by the jangling of his phone. "Would love to. But I need to take this." He thumbed the screen and held the phone up to his ear. "Hey, dad—" And immediately winced at the torrent of loving concern that began pouring out of the tiny speaker. "The time? No, I haven't looked at the...oh."

Lincoln checked his phone and winced, embarrassed. It was actually _really_ late, and he hadn't called home once. No wonder his folks were upset. Giving Lori an apologetic look, he put the phone back to his ear.

"Sorry dad, I lost track of time. Alright, I'll be waiting at—" To his surprise, Lori leaned over and lightly snatched the phone from his grasp.

"Hello, mister..." She looked at Lincoln meaningfully. It suddenly occurred to him that he'd never properly introduced himself to the girls.

"McBride." He quietly supplied, and Lori nodded gratefully.

"Hello, Mr. McBride." She smoothly corrected herself. "I'm Lori Lavigne, and I'm in charge of this little get-together. So sorry we didn't call you, I'm absolutely mortified. But you know how it is, time flies when you're having fun."

She paused for a moment, nodding. "Yes, that's right, everything's perfectly fine over here." Another pause. "Oh, there's no need for that, we'll be wrapping up shortly."

She leaned over and gave Lincoln a conspiratorial wink. "Yes, that's right. I'd be happy to give him a _lift_ home, just as soon as we're done here. Alright then, we'll be seeing you soon." Lori terminated the call and handed Lincoln back his phone.

"Hey, twerp." She said conversationally. "You don't have a problem with heights right?"

Lincoln didn't even try to hide the grin that erupted across his face. "Nothing I can't handle." He said, confidently.

"Attaboy." Lori chuckled, giving Lincoln a gentle clap on his shoulder. "But first, I've got one more shot to show you. We're gonna need two cups this time, and we're gonna have to rig up a small, temporary scaffolding to hold up the green. Leni's got a couple of purses that should work just fine."

"Lori!"


	3. Three Pair

Lincoln McBride crept though the shadows, as quietly as...something extremely quiet.

" _Ace Savvy._ " He admonished himself. " _You took the job. You took the responsibility. You need to own it._ "

This wasn't the first time he'd had this conversation with himself, but it remained ever true. Ever since his little tumble into his hero's secret sanctum, Lincoln had taken it upon himself to carry on the man's great work. Things had gone rough, initially, there was definitely a learning curve to this whole superhero thing, but Lincoln felt like he'd taken a pretty good stab at things, and would only get better as time went on. He just wished he wasn't so prone to dissociating himself from his new persona. He recognized it was a defense mechanism, one to help him deal with the fact that he'd been thrust into shoes that were far too large to be filled at this time, but it bothered him all the same. It bespoke weakness, and Ace Savvy couldn't afford to be weak.

Sensing movement, Ace darted behind a pile of crates. An armed guard made his appearance, presumably on patrol. His path would have led him right to Ace, had it not been for the young hero's quick reaction. As the man inadvertently turned his back to Ace, the boy's fist clenched, instincts urging him to sneak up on the unsuspecting soul and knock him out, quickly and quietly. One less weapon pointing his way once thins got Loud. However, he resisted, taking deep breaths to steady his nerves. Normally, this was exactly how he would operate. As a solo act, Ace was often outnumbered and outgunned by his enemies, forcing him to rely on guile to even the odds. In a situation like this; a large number of twitchy thugs, itchy trigger fingers coddling high powered rifles, anything other than the stealthy approach would be tantamount to suicide. Moving among the shadows, picking them off one by one would have been the slowest, but also safest form of engagement. This was not one of those times though. For one, his purpose here was primarily for reconnaissance. Find a suitable vantage point, one from which tempo of battlefield could be properly relegated. Striking too soon risked exposing his presence. For another, well...this was the rare occasion where he wasn't exactly outgunned.

A small grin came unbidden to the young hero's lips. Both at the thought of what was going to be happening all too soon, and because he'd finally spied a clear pathway to his target. A large, armored car. While its perimeter was bristling with guards, they'd left fairly obvious holes in their formation. Moreover, the roof of the car seemed to be unoccupied. Perfect for his needs.

Quickly taking stock of his surroundings once more, Ace began moving with renewed purpose towards his goal. Wouldn't be long before the fireworks started.

* * *

"LINKY!"

Lori giggled to herself as her sister's delighted shriek rang throughout their tiny apartment. Truth be told, she wanted nothing more than to rush over and meet their new arrival herself. But these dishes needed washing if they wanted to have anything to eat on that night, to she reined in her excitement and focused on her task.

Things had gotten off to a rocky start with the kid. Leni had taken an interest in the little goober for whatever reason, invited him to their apartment _without_ telling Lori, inadvertently exposing their secret identities, _and_ topped it all off by forcing them to sit through a god awful movie. It hadn't endeared her to Lincoln. At _all_. She'd spent most of that evening seriously tempted to literally throw him out of their apartment, preferably into something nice and solid. And yet, through some combination of sheer tenacity and his own...Lincoln-nees(?), she supposed, the kid had somehow managed to win her over. She couldn't quite say when precisely it had happened, but at some point Lincoln had started to feel like a genuine member of their little family, and while she'd never admitted it, Lori wouldn't have it any other way.

Wiping off her last plate, Lori nodded at the dry, gleaming pile of dinner accouterments before her, and hung up her apron. _Now_ she was free to go and greet their impromptu little bro.

"Dishes are done," Lori announced as she strolled into the living area. "Glad you could make it Linc...on..."

Lori trailed off as she took in the status of her companions. Normally, by this point, Leni and Lincoln would have found some way to amuse themselves in her absence. TV, video games, that _infuriatingly_ unfair Dungeons and Whatsits game Lincoln talked them into playing every so often. This time, however, she found her sister and their guest still standing in the doorway, Lincoln suspended in mid-air, clutched in one of Leni's patented Leni-hugs. Which meant that he was plastered against her chest. Thit wasn't _too_ unusual by itself, but the fact that they were standing perfectly still with the door left wide open definitely was.

"Everything okay, guys?" Lori asked warily as she approached the pair, trying to get a better look. She couldn't see Leni's fact, but Lincoln looked mortified. A perfectly reasonable reaction, Linc was a growing boy and Leni had a habit of giving him greetings that were both soft _and_ mammarable _._

"F-fine, Lori," Leni said quickly. She turned around and gave Lori what was presumably intended to be a reassuring smile. It wasn't. If anything, it was disconcerting to see just how hard she was trying to appear normal. She also hadn't relinquished her hold on the younger boy.

"...Right," Lori replied, neutrally. "Well close the door and put Lincoln down already, you're going to suffocate the poor kid."

Leni nodded quickly, reached out with one dainty foot, and kicked the door closed.

"...And put Lincoln down already," Lori repeated. To her surprise, Leni only tightened her grip on the boy, and shook her head emphatically.

"Nuh-uh." She said.

Lori sighed and stepped forward. "Put him _down_ , Leni."

"N-no!" Leni shouted, taking on a tentative step backward. Suddenly she spun on one heel as if preparing to sprint away...though... _where_ exactly she was planning on going was beyond Lori. The apartment was small, and it's not like a locked door was going to keep Lori at bay. Nevertheless, she dashed forward and got behind Leni, cutting her off. The younger girl's eyes widened, panicked, and she tried to turn around again.

"Put him _down, Leni!_ " Lori roared, reaching out and taking the other girl by the arm. Unfortunately, she wasn't prepared for just how determined Leni was and suddenly found herself unbalanced by the girl's sudden change in posture. Fortunately (or unfortunately), Lori topped directly onto the pair, and all three of them ended up crashing to the ground.

Lori reached out with her hands as she fell, trying to lessen the impact. She winced as they finally found purchase, more from annoyance than actual pain. After all, it was going to take more than a little tumble to seriously hurt her.

"Leni!" She shouted prepared to give her sister a good talking to. Then she realized the ground felt considerably more...bumpy than it should have.

"Uh..." Came a familiar voice, wavering with uncertainty. Distracted, Lori followed the sound with her eyes to it's source. Lincoln, of course, her hand was pressing right into the kid's gut. The poor guy had ended up serving as her landing pad, no wonder he was distressed.

...except, she'd been almost certain that she'd hit the floor. The surface under her hand didn't feel like the pasty nerd-flesh she'd come to associate with her favorite twerp. It was...solid. Like a plank of wood, but...bumpier. Distracted, Lori began to massage her young friend. Lincoln's flesh was rigid, taut, and ripply in a way that sent shivers down her spine. It was—

* * *

"NOVA!"

With a small gasp of surprise, wrenched herself from her memories and found herself staring into the very nonplussed face of her sister, Leni. Or, Eclipse, she should say. Right, they were on duty.

"Sorry, Eclipse." She said, shaking her head in an attempt to shake off the lingering memory. "Got a little distracted. I'm fine now."

"I'm happy to hear that." The words _sounded_ sincere enough, but even in the low light, she could make out the other girl's smug expression.

"So..." She began, her tone surprisingly even in spite of how hard she was grinning. "How do you think Ace is doing?"

Nova quietly groaned. Not again. _This_ was not the time to have this particular conversation. To be frank, there was never going to be a proper time, but _now_ was most certainly not the time! The pair was hovering high above the site where Ace was currently lurking around. It was a dangerous job, and they were too far off to intervene if things got ugly, but that was by design, all the better to avoid accidentally giving the game away with their much less stealthy powers. Once Ace was in position, he'd give them the signal and they'd charge in. But until then, they were _supposed_ to remain on alert.

"I'm sure he's doing _just_ _fine_." She growled, desperately praying the conversation would end there.

"I suppose you would know." Eclipse chirped. "I mean, you've been paying a _lot_ of attention to him lately."

To reiterate. They were _supposed_ to be on alert!

"I don't blame you." She continued. "He really makes that costume work, right? I mean, the old Ace looked good in it too, but Liiiii—ahem, Ace really just rocks that look." She waggled her eyebrows at Nova. "Riiiight?"

He did, though Nova would never allow herself to admit as much aloud. And therein lay the problem. Lincoln McBride, the weird, dorky, adorable little twerp who'd wormed his way into their lives so deeply that she genuinely couldn't remember what things had been like before he'd come along...had gotten weirdly hot.

Not just _physically_ , mind you, though his new physique certainly didn't help matters. Lincoln had gone home one night as his usual pasty, doughy self, and the next time they'd seen him he'd been straight up _jacked_. Like, far beyond what should have been possible for a kid his age. And yes, in the privacy of her mind, Lori was capable of admitting that seeing Lincoln's costume cling to his toned, muscular frame made her want to do _terrible_ , absolutely _sinful_ things to the poor boy. But there was more to it than that.

Even when pressed for details, Lincoln had refused to tell the sisters what exactly had transpired that night he'd ventured onto Ace's now-abandoned property. Whatever had happened, however, had clearly changed the boy. The Lincoln she'd known was kind, and well-meaning, but all too aware of his own limitations. Perhaps to a fault. She'd watched with amusement when he'd thought he'd insulted her, and desperately backpedaled, often only making matters worse. She'd bit her lip to hold back her smiles whenever he'd tried to introduce her and Leni to one of his nerdy hobbies, often working himself into such an excited frenzy that he'd literally turn red in the face. And when he'd reluctantly confessed that some kid at school had been bullying him, she'd seriously considered paying a visit to the little prick's house and them the error of their ways.

The Lincoln that had emerged from Ace's manor was changed. Still that same, sweet boy, but now...hardened. No, _tempered_. He still had that irrepressible optimism about him, that desire to put others needs before his own, but now he was so much more. Armed with a hand-me-down costume, a hand full of gadgets, and an, admittedly killer physique, Lincoln had taken up the mantle and responsibilities of Ace Savvy, not for his own sake, but for others. And damned if he wasn't making headway.

It wasn't all sunshine, naturally. There was a learning curve to this kind of work, and unlike Eclipse and Herself, the new Ace hadn't had anyone to show him the ropes. Initially, at least. Once this new Ace Savvy started making his rounds on social media, it had taken the sisters little time to put two and two together, and they'd come down upon the boy like a ton of bricks. It had been _beyond_ stupid for him to try and go it alone, Lori had said as much, and even Leni had backed her up on that, the normally cheerful girl uncharacteristically furious at the boy's idiotic decision to try and go it alone. But eventually, the trio had reached an accord. Lincoln had agreed to work _with_ the girls while he was getting his footing as a new superhero, and Lori didn't have to break his arms and legs to induce that agreement. Everyone had gotten what they'd wanted.

And in a matter of only a few weeks, the boy had _thrived_. Even as Ace Savvy, Lincoln wasn't a powerhouse like her or even Leni. He was very much human and had to learn to work within those limitations. But once he did, he'd taken off running and never stopped. Deep down, he was still that same kid, but now he was also brave and quick-witted. Resourceful, good in a fight, selfless to a fault, and...so very, very attractive. It had been a rude awakening Lori had realized she'd stopped seeing Lincoln as their tag along, pseudo-little brother, and instead as a hero in his own right. Albeit, one still very inexperienced. But that only made her want to... _teach_ , his things. So many things...

"You ever notice how snug it gets in some places?" Eclipse added.

And her _sister_ , whose powers so very clearly allowed her to pick up on how flustered she'd begun to feel around their new partner, had pounced on that little chink in her armor.

"Like, his butt?" And had never let up. Not for a single, solitary second.

"You know _what_?" Nova growled, rounding on her still smiling sister, fully intending to vent her frustrations upon the girl who was so very clearly asking for it—

_KSSSH_

—But that would have to wait. Immediately, both girls were all business. Nova reached for the communication device lodged in her ear and activated it.

"Nova here." She reported. "That you Ace? Over."

There were several, heart-pounding moments as she waited for the other side to pick up, but finally, it did, and finally, she heard the words she'd been waiting for.

"Ace here. I repeat cue the sun. Over"

Nova grinned. It was showtime. She turned to Eclipse and motioned for her to put some distance between them. Once in position, Nova activated her energy aura, a sudden shining light against the dark sky, the kind of thing that was guaranteed to draw attention. Then she kept on going, blazing brighter and brighter, her aura growing in intensity as the seconds passed until finally she unleashed the pent up energy. The resulting burst of power exploded outward, so bright that it lit up the sky, changing night into day, if for only an instant. But that was all they needed. Anyone who'd been unfortunate enough to be watching her little stunt was going to be blind and dazed for a bit. And more importantly, ripe for the picking.

"Still got your vision, Eclipse?" She called over her shoulder.

" _Yes._ " She didn't sound happy. Even fully knowing their plan, and knowing to keep her eyes closed, being this close to the epicenter of that little lightshow was still probably going to hurt. _Good_.

"Good." Nova replied with a grin, activating her communicator once more. "Hold down the fort just a little longer, Ace. We're coming in hot!"

* * *

Lori opened her eyes, then immediately regretted doing so. Sunlight streamed in from every which way. Light! Horrible Horrible light!

"Windows were a mistake!" She groaned as she squeezed her eyes shut again and curled up into a ball.

"Oh good, you're awake." Said a soft voice from beyond the darkness, causing Lori to groan internally. And now she was going to have to deal with _this_.

Gingerly opening her still sensitive eyes ever so slightly, Lori was able to make out the shadowy form of her visitor. As she gradually adjusted to the light level, more and more details filled in, and she soon found herself staring into the smiling face of Lincoln McBride.

"Put me back to sleep." She wined, eliciting a melodic chuckle from her guest.

"No can do." He said, shaking his head emphatically. Then his smile diminished, just a bit. "You've been out long enough. We were starting to get worried."

Feeling that she was sufficiently equipped to endure the radiance of the foul day-star once more, Lori tentatively sat up. Only partway through the motion did it occur to her to make sure she was dressed, but a quick glance downward revealed that thankfully, she was. He standard sleep-wear, a loose-fitting tank top, and comfortable shorts. A bit more revealing than she'd prefer when company was over, but it would do.

"We're...in my room?" Lori asked, puzzled, only now able to take in her surroundings. "What happened? I remember the fight, and then..."

"Everything went fine. More or less." Lincoln reassured her. "Except you...uh, you pushed yourself a little too hard."

Right. Memories began to trickle in.

* * *

"Operation: Supernova" had mostly gone off without a hitch. Lori's trick had left the crooks dazed and confused, easy pickings for the super trio. She and Leni had swooped in and quickly began cleaning house, Lincoln using his perch to direct them to priority targets, and give them ranged support than needed. Then...

_KOOM_

A sniper rifle. Someone hadn't been impressed by her light show. Thankfully nobody had gotten hit, but Lori had panicked all the same. With no eyes on the shooter, _they_ were now the ones fighting blind, and it was only a matter of time before their opponent got lucky. They needed to take him down before he got that chance. _She_ needed to protect her team.

"Nova _!"_

She jerked her head in the direction of the voice, just in time to see a small burst of electricity explode against a nearby rooftop. An instant later, she'd worked out what she was seeing. Ace had spied the target but wasn't in a position where he could neutralize them quickly enough. But _she_ could, so he'd given her a little guiding light.

 _"_ Thanks, Ace _!"_ She called out as she rocketed towards the rooftop, her energy aura blazing brightly. She'd closed the distance in a matter of heartbeats, and had the pleasure of seeing the shooter's horrified face, desperately trying to draw a bead on her. Too little too late. Sad for him. Reining in her righteous anger at the last second, she'd snatched the rifle out of his grasp, snapped it with one hand, then _gently_ walloped him with the other. He'd live, though he'd be in for a world of hurt when he woke up. But before she could celebrate her aura began to flicker, growing dimmer and dimmer until it finally went out entirely. Then...she fell.

Terror and frustration warred within her in equal measure as she plummeted Earthward. The ground was getting too close, too fast! Then...everything stopped. Something, _someone_ tackled her from the side, slamming her into the side of the building. It hurt, but nowhere near as much as hitting the ground would have. As her vision began to fade, she caught one last glimpse of her savior before blacking out.

 _Ace_. This time, he'd saved her...

* * *

"Right. I...passed out," Lori said, frowning.

"And then we brought you back here," Lincoln concluded, nodding. "But Leni was the one who changed you, honest." He quickly added. Lori bit down on her lower lip to keep from smiling. Stupid Lincoln. Then she noticed that the boy was carrying a small, covered plate, and she had to bite down even harder. Stupid, _thoughtful_ Lincoln.

"Is that...for me?" She asked, gingerly indicating the plate.

"Oh, right." Lincoln laughed nervously as he leaned down and deposited the dish on her lap. "It's just toaster waffles. I know you're on a diet, but I wasn't sure how good your condition would be when you woke up, and I figured it'd be best to prepare something that wouldn't make a mess."

"Thanks, Linc." She couldn't stop herself from smiling at the boy this time, so she just let it happen. It seemed to make him happy, and _that_ made her happy.

"You just going to stand there?" She asked, one eyebrow arched in amusement.

"Oh, right. Let me grab a—"

"Oh no, you don't." She growled, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him on the bed with her. "There's a perfectly good bed right here. Just sit with me while I ruin my diet."

"S-sounds good." His voice quavered ever so slightly. Then he backed away, just a little. Lori hadn't realized how close he'd been. It took an extreme amount of willpower to avoid scooching over, reclaiming that closeness, but she held firm, instead focusing on the dish in her hands. But she didn't partake, not yet. she sat there, for a time, mastering herself.

"Lori..." Lincoln said at last, though she wasn't entirely certain how much time had actually passed. "Leni and I were really scared."

"Wasn't your fault." She replied, shrugging. "It's like you said, I, just overdid it. Should have watched my energy output."

"But you only overdid it because of _my_ plan." Lincoln insisted. "I should have known that energy burst would tax you. I shouldn't have had you join the fight immediately afterward."

"Not like you could have stopped me." Lori joked, gently nudging Lincoln with her elbow. "I'm a tough girl, Lincoln. There was no way you were going to convince me to hang back while you and Leni were in danger."

"Well...maybe that's part of the problem."

Now Lori abandoned all pretense of even toying with her food. "Excuse me?"

"It's just...you hold yourself to such high standards." Lincoln gave her a sidelong look. "You're right, it never even crossed my mind to keep you out of the fight, but you would have insisted on joining anyway. It would have been a better play for you to let me and Leni handle things. But you...have a tendency to try and do everything yourself."

"I don't _have_ high standards, Lincoln," Lori growled, trying to keep her emotions in check. "I _am_ the high standard. I'm the strongest hero in the city. I can't afford to not be involved. _I_ don't have that luxury."

"You _do!_ He insisted, scowling at her. "You have Leni! And me now! You don't have to do everything yourself! We can pick up the slack for you!"

"No, you _can't_! Not now! Not yet! Neither of you are ready yet!"

"Maybe we _could_ be if you'd just give us a chance!"

Lori's body began moving of its own volition. She threw aside the plate, its delicious, fattening contents forgotten as she rounded on the boy next to her. In one smooth motion, she flipped herself over and on top of him, straddling her pale-haired partner. Then she placed one hand against his chest and _pushed_ , flattening him down on the bed. When her brain finally caught up with the action, she found herself staring upon a neatly incapacitated Lincoln.

'Stop me." She said, softly.

"W-what?"

"You think you're ready for the big time. So prove it. Stop me."

"Lori, I'm not—"

"You're not _going_ to stop me, because you _can't_ stop me." She interrupted, pushing down harder just for an instant. She winced internally at the pained expression that flashed across Lincoln's face, but she held firm. The lesson needed to be learned.

"If a villain had gotten you like this, you'd be done, Lincoln. Wouldn't even need to be a supervillain. You're a tough kid, but you're not _super_ tough. This is literally all it takes. No more Ace Savvy, no more Lincoln McBride. You'd just be another casualty."

"I could break out if it _mattered_." He insisted. He stared at her, unusually cool for the circumstances, not even bothering to struggle.

"It _matters_ , Lincoln!" Lori retorted. "I've got you pinned. I'm _stronger_ than you. How are you not in danger here?"

"Because I know you'd never hurt me." The reply was instantaneous. Lori found herself taken aback.

"I _could_ hurt you." She protested, gripping the boy just a little harder. "I could snap your stupid neck like a twig."

"A lot of people could. It doesn't have the best construction." The twerp was smiling now, that infuriatingly sweet smile of his. "But I know _you_ would never hurt me. Not in a million years."

"I literally just did." She replied, quietly.

"Yeah. But you feel terrible about it."

"I..." She let out a soft, annoyed sigh. "I do. I literally do."

Her lesson forgotten, Lori released her grip on Lincoln and flopped down upon the bed. To her surprise, Lincoln caught her before she could hit the mattress, just as he had the previous night. Not entirely sure what she was doing, Lori slid closer, and before either of them knew what was happening, Lori found herself being held by Lincoln in an awkward sort of embrace.

"I worry about you guys." She said. "If anything happened to you. To either of you, and I could have prevented it, I'd never forgive myself."

"I-I get that." Lincoln stammered, eliciting an amused chuckle from her. The great Ace Savvy, ladies and gentlemen. The World's Savviest Crimefighter. Right up until he gets too close to a pretty girl, and falls to pieces.

"But we're here too, Lori." He continued. "Leni and I...yeah, we're not on your level. We can't replace you. But we can _help_." Lori felt Lincoln's fingers upon her cheek, and she felt herself leaning into the contact. It was warm and strangely comforting. A slight bit of pressure. Lori surrendered to it, letting Lincoln guide her, and she soon found herself looking directly into his face.

"Let us help you with the burden." He pleaded. "Let us _be_ there for you."

Lori's mind was awash with emotions and sensations. She wasn't thinking straight, the stress of the previous night was still catching up with her, and this new bit of drama with Lincoln had only added to the load. She wasn't even certain which direction was Up at this particular point in time.

But she did know now, that at this moment, with his arms around her, and his soulful eyes boring into hers, Lincoln McBride looked _extremely_ kissable.

Before her brain could step in and calmly explain _why_ this was certain to be a terrible, terrible idea, Lori leaned forward and pressed her lips against Lincoln's. The results were instantaneous. Sparks flew. A very, palpable, electric sensation wracked her body as contact was made. It was vaguely similar to the sensation she felt when she was channeling her energy aura but _so_ much more pleasurable. She realized she was moaning, and rather loudly at that. Yeah, her powers _definitely_ didn't do that to her.

Lori wasn't certain how much time had passed, her clinging to the younger hero, him holding her tightly against him, the pair of them mutually delighting in the sensations of this all too pleasurable shared contact. But there came a time when her body's needs began to reassert themselves. Even superheroes needed to breathe. And so, it was such much reluctance, that Lori finally pulled away, taking in a deep breath of air as she did so. Precious, life-giving oxygen flooding her body once more. Her now functioning brain now conveying to her the full clarity of what she'd just done.

"Oh...crap." She whispered. "Oh god. Lincoln, I'm so—"

She didn't get a chance to finish. Refusing to surrender his grip on her, it was _Lincoln,_ this time, who made contact. Pressing his lips upon hers while she was mid-fret, the initiated was now the initiator. She could have stopped him, easily. _Should_ have, by all rights, but he was upon her once more, and it felt so right...and now he was using his tongue. Lori sank deeper into the bed, only vaguely aware of the fact that it was now Lincoln who was straddling her, and what little part of her remained conscious couldn't find it within her to care. This felt _good_. This felt _right_.

"It's about _time!_ "

And then the spell was broken. The little, blissful bubble shattered, and Lori found herself looking up at a wide-eyed, _terrified_ looking Lincoln, caught with one hand pressing her down into the mattress, and the other one cupped around one of her breasts. By unspoken agreement, Lincoln began to withdraw his hands from her person, and slowly began climbing off of her—

"Oh no, you don't!"

—Only to suddenly slam down upon her once more, his face lodged firmly in Lori's cleavage. Mortified though she was, now that rationality had taken hold once more, Lori had to acknowledge that Lincoln looked absolutely adorable down there, and so she leaned forward and gave him a chaste peck on his showy white head of hair. Then she turned to their new arrival.

"You probably could have been a little more gentle, Leni."

"Nope." The younger blonde announced as she entered the room properly, and crossed over o the pair. "You two were totes about to back off and make some dumb agreement to never talk about this again. And I couldn't let that happen, because it's been _super annoying_ to see you two mooning over each other all this time!"

Lincoln finally managed to dislodge himself from Lori, much to her displeasure. Blinking, and still somewhat dazed from the telekinetic impact, he looked upward, squinting.

"Le—" He didn't get to finish. Leni promptly leaned forward and kissed him. It was short-lived, but it was in no way chaste. The noises the pair made, combined with the way the boy's cheeks puffed out ever so slightly, showed that the older girl was making her intentions abundantly clear. Finally, Leni released Lincoln, and he slumped backward, Lori deftly catching the boy and pulling him close before he could get too far away.

"Scoot over," Leni instructed. Lori complied and watched with no small amount of amusement as the younger girl climbed into bed alongside her and slide close. Now Lincoln was trapped between the two blondes.

"You too, huh?" She asked, eyeing her younger sister.

"Me _first._ " Leni corrected her. "And I knew Linky liked me back, even though I bet he probably didn't realize it." Right. Stupid empath powers.

"But you two were totes into each other. Like, _so_ obviously! And I knew if I told Linky how I felt before you did, you'd never go through with it. So I had to wait until you guys finally decided to let yourselves be happy."

She snuggled against Lincoln with a happy smile, planting another kiss on his cheek. "So happy you guys finally caved. I don't think I could have lasted much longer."

Lori shook her head in amusement and no small amount of self-deprecation. "So...what, we're just supposed to share him? You know that can't possibly work, right?"

Rather than answer immediately, Leni raised one hand. By her unspoken command, the discarded plate of waffles rose from the ground and floated into her hand.

"Lori, we're superheroes." She said, taking a waffle and daintily nibbling on its edge. "We do impossible things every day." She turned to her older sister and offered her the plate, a big, radiant smile plastered across her face. "What's one more?"

And so Lori found herself staring at her sister, the barely conscious boy they had taken turns violating, and a single toaster waffle, rapidly cooling into a lukewarm mush. She'd seen many strange and fantastical things in her time as a hero, but this was by far the strangest. And, somehow, the most comforting.

"Fair enough," Lori said, slowly nodding. Then, she reached out...

...and took the waffle.


End file.
